Fall Getaway to Kentucky ~ Around Louisville

As much as I like to visit the countryside on a getaway for a break from city life, I also appreciate fitting in time to hang out in different cities.  For our super short fall roadtrip we decided to make Louisville our home base and so we got to see snippets of the city as well as tour bourbon distilleries and horse farms and hike in a national forest.

In Louisville we spent time on Market Street as that is where our hotel was and we lucked out- it was such a neat area!  Nice, local restaurants, interesting buildings, and shops made it a good area for walking around.  We also spent time in Old Louisville to walk around Central Park and a bit of time in downtown. 

We both really enjoyed our time in Louisville.  It was less hours of driving to get down here from Chicago than to the areas in Wisconsin where we go camping and comparable to going to the northern part of Michigan so Louisville is a very reasonable distance for a getaway from Chicago.  I would probably allow for more time (we left Chicago after work on Friday and were back Sunday night)... maybe a three or four day trip as there is so much to see and do.

Hope you enjoyed seeing snippets of what caught my eye in Kentucky!  Next up for travels is NYC... I can't wait! 

Fall Getaway to Kentucky ~ Red River Gorge

One of the things I like to do when traveling is hiking.  It is such a nice break from the city and even though you are getting lots of exercise I find it to be so relaxing.  When planning our trip for Kentucky I came across an article from Backpacker magazine on the Red River Gorge and immediately added it as a must for our itinerary.

After driving through the bourbon and horse country, we were definitely ready for getting out of the car.  The fall colors were beautiful from the window but it can't beat being out on a trail.  And we absolutely got a work out on this hike - there were so many hills!

 

Loved my visit to the Red River Gorge area.  During the hike we talked about doing a backpacking trip as this area would be perfect for that type of adventure.  Maybe.  Either way I hope that we make it back to Lexington to visit more distilleries, do more country road drives, and more hiking at Red River Gorge. 

Next (and last) on our Kentucky getaway are snippets from Louisville.

Fall Getaway to Kentucky ~ Horses and Bourbon

A fall colors getaway is something that I have wanted to do for years.  But for one reason or another it never seems to fit in.  This year I was determined to make it happen.  So this past weekend we headed down to Kentucky for a very short roadtrip.

Fall colors getaways can be tricky to time to get the peak color.  We had planned to go the weekend prior but conflicts arose and so ended up needing to push it back a week...  So the colors part of the getaway was a bit mixed.  A bit of trees with no leaves, lots of beautiful color, and trees that were still green.  Either way it was an awesome trip... we were relaxed and thoroughly enjoying ourselves which is the real test for a successful super short roadtrip.

The Louisville and Lexington areas of Kentucky are actually a pretty reasonable distance for a getaway at a five to six hour drive.  We had so much fun and there was so much to see that I definitely want to go back again.  Maybe with a bit more time.

The first part of our trip was spent with wide eyes trying to take in the beauty of the horse and bourbon country.  The stop at a distillery was not part of the original plan but I am glad that we added it in as the grounds were beautiful.  Driving down these charming roads lined with black or white fences had me stopping us quite frequently for photos - the view was seriously charming.  Here are a few photos from our drive around the horse country and visit to Woodford Distillery...

I loved driving around these beautiful roads.  I even got to pet a thoroughbred or two.  We will definitely be visiting this area again.

Coming up next are a few photos from the portion of our trip spend in the Red River Gorge area of the Daniel Boone Nationa Forest.

Fall in the City - {Subtly} Decorated

There are a lot of single family homes in my neighborhood and a lot of kids and a lot of halloween decorations.  I kind of think that it is an ordinance that a certain number of houses must have the webbing stuff on their fences.  ;)  Oh and the fences... there are also a lot of black iron fences in my neighborhood, which is fairly common of the northside neighborhoods in general.

Back to the decorations... it is the simple and understated but still festive decorations that I are catching my eye this year.  I like the definition of Subtly that says "with cleverness rather than brute force" - that is my preference for holidays in general (too much forced fun results in a lose of the charm for me).  A pair of pumpkins or pretty mauve mums are quite simple yet pretty.

 

 

Hope you have an awesome weekend doing your favorite fall fun activities! 

Fall in the City - Neighborhood

It is quite dreary again today... so a few more shots of beautiful fall days to brighten today.

 

The first couple of shots are from one morning commute last week.  The morning glories are going crazy in my neighborhood right now.  I wonder how much longer they will be around... regardless, they are quite cheerful in the morning.  Also, I definitely hestitate in taking that shot of the bus stop, wasn't sure I wanted to be the crazy lady on the bus ;)  One person scattered from the scene when they saw my big camera come out - you can see their lunch bag was abandoned on the bench in their rush to avoid being in the photograph.

The last shots are from a Sunday evening walk in a northside park... having dogs in the city is fun.  It makes you find time for walks and with all that walking it is inevitable that you might find yourself heading to different parks for a change of scenery. I love exploring the various neighborhood parks in Chicago and noting the differences in atmosphere...